After picking up some breakfast from the supermarket, we drive to Calton Hill. Between Scotland’s National Monument, the observatory and the Nelson Monument, we find a bench that’s more or less sheltered from the wind where we can enjoy our breakfast with a view. We can see the city in all directions, from the harbour through the old and new parts of the city to Edinburgh Castle. Scotland’s capital, with a population of well over half a million, is huge!

We also notice just how hilly Edinburgh is during our subsequent stroll through the city, which includes lunch. The hills are so steep that the city seems to exist in different layers in places. From the street, we can often look down between two houses to see a side street running much further below. What looks like ground-level house entrances, restaurants and cafés up here is actually on the fourth or fifth floor! From below, we can then see the bridge we were standing on earlier, and that it even has a lower section. Fascinating!

The city tour would not be complete without a visit to Greyfriars Bobby. According to legend, the little dog was so loyal to his master that, even after his death in the mid-19th century, he remained by his grave. He only left it to eat. Later, Bobby was buried on the cemetery too. A statue was even erected in honour of his exceptional loyalty and devotion, which should “be a lesson to us all”.

Work is underway on a large metal structure near Edinburgh Castle. Could this already be in preparation for the Edinburgh Tattoo? The music festival takes place here every August. Around the castle, it’s almost too touristy for our liking. Every few metres, street performers entertain the crowds; fire-eaters, photos with an owl, your photo in an old newspaper… no, thank you. But what we definitely want to try is a deep-fried Mars bar. Gabi knows where to find the best one. And we really love it!

On the way back to the hotel, we drive along the coast. Tomorrow we want to spend a bit of time on the beach before heading home. Today, however, we plan to drive to a large open-air shopping centre nearby, with lots of shops surrounding a big car park. The shopping trolley quickly fills up with groceries, even though we have to hold back: in the car, we don’t have any size or weight restrictions, but here we do. To round off our shopping trip, we have a late-night snack at Five Guys. Mmmmm!